ANNIVERSARYx3 at GRBC

We're gearing up for our anniversary – make that anniversaries. On Saturday, December 16, 2017, GRBC will celebrate five years open at Fulton and Ionia in downtown Grand Rapids. It’s also the 125th anniversary of the original GRBC and the 25th anniversary of its first rebirth.

GRBC is inviting any employees, family and mug-clubbers from any iteration of GRBC’s history to join them for some red-carpet reunion treatment. Meanwhile, here’s what is planned for the 10 a.m. opening:

- Anniversary cupcakes free to the first 125 guests – five of whom will receive "golden tickets" good for a free mug club membership, Willy Wonka-style.

- Game Room shenanigans with GRBC staffers. Get your portrait drawn (ineptly) by Head Brewer Ernie Richards! Challenge our chief of Food, Beverage & Cultural Innovation, Garry Boyd, at basketball. Get to know the people who make the beer you love!

GRBC’s story began on New Year’s Day, 1893, when a consortium of small local breweries opened a large facility together in downtown Grand Rapids, which operated successfully until Prohibition ended the party. The brand enjoyed a second coming on 28th Street in 1993, when the idea of Grand Rapids as “Beer City USA” was barely conceivable.

When the 28th Street brewery closed in 2011, BarFly Ventures owner and founder Mark Sellers bought its assets and naming rights, recognizing untapped potential in the concept. Grand Rapids Brewing Company is now part of the BarFly Ventures group of bars and restaurants, which includes Stella’s Lounge, the Waldron Public House and the 14-location, nationally renowned HopCat family.